Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue was honored to receive PulsePoint's 2017 Emergency Medical Services System of the Year Award of Excellence for its ongoing training efforts, standards and practices, and community education initiatives.

Chief Richard Price of the PulsePoint Foundation presented the award to TVF&R Fire Chief Mike Duyck during the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association Board of Directors meeting on Friday.

Chief Duyck accepted the award on behalf of the men and women of TVF&R who are committed to creating safer communities and providing fast and effective emergency response.

He also thanked PulsePoint for "creating technologies that help us save lives."

Earlier this year, TVF&R and Tualatin Valley Firefighters Local 1660 teamed up with the PulsePoint Foundation and Philips Healthcare to launch a new Verified Responder Pilot Program in an effort to improve cardiac arrest response, survival rates and patient outcomes. This program unlocks a new PulsePoint smartphone app feature that activates 281 of TVF&R's off-duty, professional firefighters to respond to nearby cardiac arrest calls in both public and private settings.

Philips Healthcare loaned every participating firefighter an automated external defibrillator so that if they respond, they can employ similar technology used by on-duty crews to restart a heart that has stopped beating.

"Four years ago, we were the first fire department in Oregon to launch PulsePoint's app for civilian responders," Chief Duyck said. "We are humbled to partner with them again as the first agency to pilot the Verified Responder Program and hope that it's the beginning of a national movement."

The effort will gather important data and combine it with existing technology and clinical insights to inform future lifesaving strategies. During the pilot, King County EMS (Wash.) will assist in evaluating the program for potential expansion to additional communities across the country.